Wisconsin Public School Statistics

By the Public School Stats Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

Statewide totals for Wisconsin public schools from the NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment and staffing for the 2023–24 school year, finance for fiscal year 2024, and the state’s largest districts.

814,202public school students in Wisconsin, 2023–24 school year (NCES CCD State Membership file)

Wisconsin reported 814,202 public school students in the 2023–24 school year, attending 2,214 public schools run by 454 local education agencies with enrolled students. Enrollment is the denominator behind almost every other statistic on this page: it drives the student–teacher ratio, frames the diploma count, and — through state funding formulas — shapes the revenue totals reported in the finance files. Because the CCD is a census of state administrative records rather than a sample survey, these totals are the official counts states themselves submitted to the federal government, with the school year printed next to each figure.

Wisconsin at a glance

Public school enrollment (2023–24)814,202 students
Public schools (2023–24)2,214
Local education agencies with enrollment454
Classroom teachers, FTE (2023–24)59,623
Student–teacher ratio (2023–24)13.7 to 1
Regular diplomas awarded (2023–24)61,728
Per-pupil current spending (FY2024, NPEFS)$17,096
Total current expenditures (FY2024, NPEFS)$13,300,705,840
Total revenues (FY2024, NPEFS)$15,680,578,397

The finance rows are labeled FY2024 because the National Public Education Financial Survey reports by fiscal year; fiscal year 2024 is the finance counterpart of the 2023–24 school year. The membership and staffing rows come from the 2023–24 CCD state files. Keeping those labels attached is deliberate — see why the years differ across files.

Staffing statewide

Wisconsin schools employed 59,623 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers in 2023–24, a student–teacher ratio of 13.7 to 1. That ratio is an average across very different settings — small rural schools, large suburban campuses and specialized programs all blend into one number — so it is best used to compare states in the same year, or one state across years, rather than to predict any individual classroom. District-level ratios for the state’s largest districts are on their district pages, linked in the table below.

Spending and revenue

The NPEFS file reports $13,300,705,840 in total current expenditures and $15,680,578,397 in total revenues for Wisconsin public schools in fiscal year 2024, with a published per-pupil current expenditure of $17,096. NPEFS per-pupil figures are computed by NCES from current expenditures and fall membership in the finance collection; they are the standard source for state-to-state spending comparisons because every state reports through the same accounting handbook. District-level spending, where the F-33 file supports it, appears on individual district pages and can differ sharply from the state average in both directions.

Completions

Public schools in Wisconsin awarded 61,728 regular secondary school diplomas in 2023–24, per the CCD Completers file. A diploma count is a flow of credentials in one year, not a graduation rate; the federal cohort graduation rate is produced separately by EDFacts from tracked ninth-grade cohorts. We publish the count, labeled as a count, and explain the distinction on our measurement methodology page.

Largest districts in Wisconsin

Ranked by 2023–24 fall membership. The largest district alone accounts for 8.2% of statewide enrollment. Linked districts have full pages on this site.

#DistrictEnrollment 2023–24Schools
1Milwaukee School District66,864156
2Madison Metropolitan School District25,24754
3Kenosha School District18,71941
4Green Bay Area Public School District18,57944
5Racine Unified School District15,96327
6Appleton Area School District15,23038
7Waukesha School District11,31827
8Eau Claire Area School District10,86624
9Sheboygan Area School District9,42725
10Janesville School District9,41422
11Oshkosh Area School District9,11321
12Sun Prairie Area School District8,41116

Browse all states in the state index or return to the district index.

Frequently asked questions

How many public school students are in Wisconsin?

814,202 students were enrolled in Wisconsin public schools in the 2023–24 school year, per the NCES Common Core of Data state membership file.

What is the student–teacher ratio in Wisconsin?

13.7 students per teacher statewide in 2023–24, from 814,202 students and 59,623 FTE classroom teachers in the CCD files.

How much does Wisconsin spend per pupil?

$17,096 per pupil in current expenditures in fiscal year 2024, the published figure in the NCES National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS).

Data: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and EDFacts, retrieved October 2026, from nces.ed.gov. Enrollment, staffing and lunch figures are for the 2023–24 school year; finance figures are fiscal year 2024 (school year 2023–24) unless a page labels them otherwise.

Disclaimer: Public School Stats republishes official federal statistics for general information only. Figures are reported as published by NCES and EDFacts and may include imputed or revised values; for decisions affecting a specific school or district, confirm the figure with the district or the NCES source file. See our full Disclaimer.